Gene study could lead to the creation of drug for alcohol addiction

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New study paves way for the possible creation of a pill that could suppress alcohol craving, saving more lives and the economy.

If you’re suffering from alcoholism, and you really want it to stop, then you will definitely love this new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers from the Imperial College London, King’s College London, and the UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that the interaction of a hormone in the liver–the FGF21–with the brain is playing a crucial role in regulating alcohol consumption.

The findings of the paper are based on the meta-analysis and the replication study of over 105,000 light and heavy social drinkers of European descent.

The research compared the genetics of heavy and light alcohol drinkers, as the participants answered questionnaires, revealing their weekly drinking habits.

It defined heavy drinking as men having over 21 drinks per week and about 14 for women. Meanwhile, it defined light drinking as having 14 drinks or less per week for men and 7 drinks or less for women.

A drink is a small glass or wine, or a half pint of beer.

The group found variations of a gene called beta-Klotho that were linked to how much alcohol people were consuming, showing that it may regulate drinking behavior.

To better understand how the gene works, the research group studied mice that were genetically unstable to produce beta-Klotho. They were given a choice between water and alcohol.

Interestingly, the genetically altered mice chose alcohol even when they were given the hormone FGF21. It indicates that the ability of the said liver hormone to suppress the craving for alcohol depends on the presence of the beta-Klotho.

This study could lead to the creation of drugs that regulate human alcohol consumption, possibly including those with alcohol addiction.

A drug that could save more lives… and the economy

Alcoholism is not only a major health problem, but it could also affect the economy of a nation.

In the United States in 2014, 87.6 percent of people ages eighteen and older said they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime. As 71 percent reported that they drank alcohol in the past year.

Not surprisingly, 56.9 percent of Americans that year said they drank in the past month.

So what’s the connection between alcohol consumption and a nation’s economy?

According to the U.S. NIH, in 2010, alcohol problems cost the country about $249 billion, and three-quarters of the total cost of alcohol misuse is linked to binge drinking.

For preventable deaths, the NIH said that every year, nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol-linked causes which of course include DUI or driving under influence.

Globally, in 2012, the institute said that 3.3 million deaths or nearly 6 percent of all deaths in the world, were linked to alcohol consumption.